Neymar earns a red card as Paris Saint-Germain stumble to a 1-0 defeat to LOSC Lille in a crucial title race encounter in Ligue 1.
Paris Saint-Germain suffer a massive blow in their hopes of remaining at the top of the Ligue 1 standings, as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to LOSC Lille on Saturday. The loss at Parc des Princes continues their sloppy form against fellow title challengers while ushering in a major turning point in the race for the crown, with Lille now building a three-point lead at the top.
It was indeed a defensive masterclass from Les Dogues, who capitalised from an early goal through Jonathan David to execute a marvellous deep-lying setup that kept frustrating the opposition. The visitors were also the better side in possession, especially in the first half even though they could only muster three shots on goal throughout the entirety of the game.
For PSG, they were sloppy and lacked any tactical identity in their game, which served as a microcosm of Mauricio Pochettino’s spell at the French capital so far. The lack of identity was added by a lacklustre build-up and an overall lack of creative essence in the final third, capped off in the worst way possible as Neymar picked up a red card late in the game.
Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over both these clubs in this vital Lille win on Saturday that could greatly change course of the Ligue 1 campaign during this final stretch.
Paris Saint-Germain
Keylor Navas: 6.5/10
Keylor Navas had a frustrating game as he was unluckily beaten by Jonathan David early on in the proceedings, although the former Real Madrid goalkeeper made a couple of stunning saves to deny Jonathan Bamba and Burak Yilmaz.
Thilo Kehrer: 2/10
Thilo Kehrer was one of the worst performers for PSG in this game as the defender lacked confidence in his overall play. Although he showed physicality, there was a clear lack of organisation and execution from his passes to attacking forays down the flanks.
Kehrer managed to bottle a great attacking opportunity and starting a great Lille-counter… It’s like playing with 10 players while giving one to your opponents
— Carl-Oscar Källström (@COKllstrm) April 3, 2021
Marquinhos: 6/10
Marquinhos cannot be faulted for the Lille goal as it was a good attacking sequence from the away side. However, one could argue that the Brazilian did not lead his team particularly well.
Presnel Kimpembe: 6/10
Much like Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe did not make too many errors defensively. On the contrary, he showed more intent than some of his attacking teammates.
Abdou Diallo: 4.5/10
Abdou Diallo was given the nod ahead of Mitchell Bakker at left-back – a move that did not pay well for Mauricio Pochettino as the former Dortmund man lacked ideas out wide.
Leandro Paredes: 5/10
Leandro Paredes had a better game than most of the teammates that surrounded him. He showed better intent going forward, especially in the second half, even though it was objectively a bad performance nonetheless.
Idrissa Gueye: 4/10
Idrissa Gueye struggled to bring anything to the table for PSG other than being passive in midfield and occasional crosses into the box. Failed to capitalise after a relatively great start to the game.
Angel Di Maria: 6/10
Angel Di Maria was untouchable, at times, especially in the first ten minutes of the game as he notably created an excellent scoring opportunity for Neymar. His influence, though, waned as the game progressed.
Neymar: 1/10
Neymar has been sent off three times in his last 14 Ligue 1 matches ? pic.twitter.com/ZJwZEmejBM
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 3, 2021
Neymar had a disastrous game against Lille by every stretch. He was wasteful in front of goal, notably missing a glorious chance created by Di Maria while most of his set-pieces went over the bar. He was also sent off late in the game to add more salt into the wounds for PSG.
Kylian Mbappe: 6/10
Kylian Mbappe looked very lively during the early stages of the game. His influence and penetration, though, took a steady dip after that, as it was seemingly becoming difficult for the Frenchman to break the lines of the opposition.
Moise Kean: 5/10
Moise Kean offered the physicality and dynamism in the final third, but at the expense of technique and consistency. PSG are really missing the presence of a domineering forward like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Edinson Cavani.
Substitutes
Julian Draxler: 5/10
Julian Draxler was brought in to offer more creative essence in the final third, although the German ended up looking extremely frustrated due to the opposition’s solid defensive line.
Mitchell Bakker: 5/10
Mitchell Bakker replaced Diallo to add more attacking impetus going forward. The youngster tried his best to make things happen in the final third.
Colin Dagba: 5/10
Colin Dagba replaced Kehrer in the 64th minute, as part of Pochettino’s overhaul in the full-back unit. Didn’t improve the game.
Rafinha: 5/10
Rafinha came on for the ineffective Gueye in the 71st minute. Did not really offer much to the table, aside from an exquisite touch.
LOSC Lille
Mike Maignan: 8/10
Mike Maignan was one of the heroes for Lille as the goalkeeper made a plethora of saves to retain his clean sheet. Certainly among the best performing players in this fixture.
Tiago Djalo: 7/10
Neymar and Djalo have a fight in the tunnel during the PSG & Lille football match pic.twitter.com/Xptluo6BzP
— Everything Sports (@CompleteSports0) April 3, 2021
Had an awful start to the game as he was beaten all ends up by the PSG wide players. The right-back, though, recovered really well, making a host of interceptions and tackles throughout the game. Unlucky to be sent off late in the game.
Jose Fonte: 8/10
Jose Fonte’s experience, work ethic and leadership were vital in helping Lille to pull off this defensive masterclass. The veteran centre-back made a total of a whopping nine clearances throughout the ninety minutes.
Sven Botman: 8/10
Sven Botman’s defensive discipline was key in Lille’s defensive game as the youngster barely put a foot wrong in the proceedings. He, too, made nine clearances, raising the bar for his team from a defensive perspective.
Reinildo: 8/10
Reinildo was given more freedom than Djalo, in regards to his offensive movements. The left-back made wise use of that freedom as well, notably producing a couple of dangerous crosses from the wide areas of the park. Kept the defenders occupied.
Renato Sanches: 7/10
Renato Sanches switched between a wide attacking and a central attacking midfield role for the most part. It was important in helping the visitors remain solid in the first line of press while offering them options on the counter.
Benjamin Andre: 9/10
Benjamin Andre produced one of the best performances by any player in Ligue 1 this season, as he was omnipresent in midfield – playing a key role in Lille’s second line of press and making things difficult for PSG to dominate proceedings. A defensive masterclass.
? | FOCUS
Lille got an important 1:0 victory over PSG, as Benjamin André bossed the midfield:
⏱️ 90' played
? 26/31 acc. passes
⚔️ 10/19 duels won (most)
❌ 6 tackles (most)
? 5 interceptions (most)
⛔️ 3 blocked shots (most)
? 4 clearances
? 7.5 SofaScore rating#PSGLOSC pic.twitter.com/niExzeVb0s— SofaScore (@SofaScoreINT) April 3, 2021
Boubakary Soumare: 8.5/10
Boubakary Soumare was a rock in midfield for Lille as the youngster created a formidable partnership alongside Andre. They were instrumental in nullifying any ball progression from the PSG players, although Soumare did look tired at the end.
Jonathan Bamba: 7/10
Jonathan Bamba was a vital cog in Lille’s creative unit, as he operated just in behind the two attackers, sometimes releasing those runners with passes in behind the backline.
Jonathan David: 7/10
Jonathan David ? gives Lille OSC the 1-0 lead in a clash of giants against Paris Saint-Germain
Watch 1st-place LOSC live on ? ? via @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/qfmnV2y7Vs
— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) April 3, 2021
Jonathan David capitalised on an opportunity created by Ikone to score the all-important opener for Lille. His game, however, was cut short after he picked up a knock and had to be subbed off around the 35th-minute mark.
Jonathan Ikone: 7/10
Ikone produced the cross that led to the opener from David, as iterated earlier. He was by far the most active Lille attacker, even though Les Dogues did not get too many opportunities to make an impact.
Substitutes
Timothy Weah: 6/10
Timothy Weah was brought in ten minutes before half-time, at the expense of the injured David. Offered a lot of pace and running in the final third, though nothing spectacular.
Burak Yilmaz: 6/10
Burak Yilmaz replaced the tiring Sanches in the 73rd minute to add a more physical presence in the final third – giving the likes of Ikone and Bamba with a target man. Almost found the net had it not been for Navas’ heroics.
Domagoj Bradaric: N/A
A late replacement for Ikone. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
